Radiator valve



Nov. 20, 1945. F. B. RUTHERFORD Erm. 293899337 RADIATOR VALVE Filed Jan. 30, 1945 2 sheets-sheerl Naw 20, E945 F. B. RUTHERFQRD ETAL. 2,389,387

RADIATOR VALVE 'Filed Jan. 30, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 20, 1945 RADIATOR VALVE Frost B. Rutherford and John Van Vulpen, Chicago, Ill., assgnors tov Vapor Car Heatingl Company, Inc., Chicago, lll., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1943, Serial No. 474,088

3 Claims. (Cl. 23S- 736) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a solenoid actuated inlet valve. The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved inlet valve suitable for controlling the flow of steam into a small radiator, for example, a radiator employed for heating a small room or a s'o-called roomette of a railway passenger car. For situations of this character it is desirable to provide a valve and operating means therefor which will be compact in structure so that the structure as a whole will require a minimum of space in the room. The valve must also be of such character that it may be manually or automatically operated as may be desired, and it must be sensitive and economical 7in its operation.

A further object is to provide a solenoid actuated valve which will insure free movement of the parts without excessive wear, avoid development of objectionable temperatures of the parts, and which will minimize the development of leaks in the-valve structure. In this connection the invention contemplates the provision of an operating solenoid disposed in' a vertical position, rather than in the horizontal, so as to avoid any tendency to foul the plunger. The temperature is minimized by the provision of a small inlet chamber for the high pressure steam, and the development of leaks is avoided by a novel arrangement of the valve, its operating solenoid and the associated manually controlled operating means at the low pressure side of the steam inlet port leading to the radiator.

In order to further insure the desired sensitivity and economical operation of the heating system, a steam trap, in the form of a thermostatic bellows is arranged within the valve housing so that the water of condensation spills directly over the bellows, whereby the hot water and steam will influence the operation f the thermostatic outlet of the system, after the cooler water of condensation has discharged from the system.

A further object is to include in the general valve structure an associated relay wherein kthe lwiring circuits and other parts are so simpliiied as to materially expedite the assembly and main,- tenance of the operating parts of the valve and relay.

Other objects and advantages of the improved construction will be made apparent from the following detailed description of the structure and operation of one preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of a solenoid actuated valve and relay constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 2. 'i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view partly in section illustrating a preferred means for holding the manual actuating means in a predetermined position, and

Fig. 5 is a diagram for the wiring of the Valve solenoid and the relay solenoid.

The improved valve comprises a casing Ii), the inner portion of which is divided by partition walls into four chambers II, I2, I3 and III. The chamber ll is an inlet chamber for the high pressure steam delivered thereto through a steam pipe I5. Preferably the inlet steam chamber Il is relatively small so as to minimize the conduction of heat throughout the casing and the parts attached thereto. The chamber II communicates through a valve port I6' with a low pressure steam chamber I2 which has open communication with the inlet end I'I of the radiator. The thermostat chamber I3 has open communication with the discharge end i8 of the radiator and communicates through a valve port I9 with thefdischarge chamber I4, the latter of which connects with a discharge pipe ZIJ.'

From the above disclosure it will be seen that steam passing from chamber II into chamber I2 will enter the inlet end Il of the so called innerfeed type of radiator.V This type of radiator comprises coaxial pipes iii-22 which extend the desired distance along the walll of the space to be heated or at other suitable locations within the small room or roomette of a railway passenger car. The inner pipe ZI, being the feed pipe, communicates with the chamber l2 of the valve casing and extends to a point near the closed outer end of the outer pipe 22. The outer pipe communicates at its inner end with the thermcstat chamber I3 so as to discharge water o'f condensation and steam into the said thermostat chamber. The port I9 leading from chamber' i3 into the outlet chamber M is controlled by, a thermostat 23 responsive to the temperature conditions at the discharge end of the radiator.

The thermostat 23 is preferably of the expansible bellows type and is positioned immediately below the discharge end i8 of the radiator so l that the water of condensation discharged from pipe Y22 will spill directly over the bellows. When the discharged water becomes suciently hot, for

through the screw plug opening. The lpositionV of the thermostat 23 within the valvecasing Il) and in close relation to the discharge -end of the radiator conserves the heating medium by closing the outletport I9 as soon as the radiator is filled with steam.

The inlet port I6 is formed in a removable seat` 21 and is closed by a valve 28. The valve has a vertically disposed stem 23 which is slidably supported in a guide plug 3U inserted in an opening formed in the upper portion of the seat member 21. A collar 3l is suitably xed on the upper portion of the valve stemk 29. A compression spring 32 is inserted between the collar 3| and theplug 33 so that it will function to move the valve 28 to its open position, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The valve 28 may be moved to its closed position by means of manually operable means hereinafter described or by electrically actuated means. The manually operable means comprises a disc 33 fixed to a shaft 34, the latter of which is positioned within the low pressure inlet chamber I2 of the vvalve casing and is suitably journaled in screw plugs 35 and 36. The arrangement of the shaft 34 within the low pressure chamber of the'valve casing, rather than in the high pressure chamber, as was heretofore customary for similar valves, is `an important improvement in that it reduces the possibility of leaks developing around the screw plugs 35-36 or around the packing 36a or journal bearing 31 of the shaft 34.

The disc 33 is recessed to provide shoulders 39-40 adapted to engage the upper and lower edges 4I-42, respectively, of the collar 3l. For

example, when the shaft is rotated in one direction, by operation of a lever 43 secured to the outer end of the shaft, the shoulder 3B of the disc engages the upper edge 4I of the collar 3I Yto move the valve 28 downwardly against the compression of spring 32 to close the inlet port I6. The valve may be locked in its closed position by means of a spring pressed pin 44 carried by the lever and adapted to snap into a cup socket 45 formed on the side face of the valve casing I0. When the shaft 34 is rotated in the opposite direction, the spring 32 will function to open the Valve. However, the said shaft may be moved p through an arc sufficient to press the shoulder 46 of disc 33 upwardly against the lower edge portion 42 of the collar 3I and'thereby hold the valve in its open position. The valve and the said lever are held in their said open position by the spring pressed pin 44 entering the cup shaped socket 46 formed in the valve casing.

The holding force exerted by the spring pressed pin'44 is normally suicient to hold the valve in its opened or closed position against the forces exerted by the automatically actuated means hereinafter described. The said lever 43 and shaft 34 are also preferably held in an intermediate position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, when the valve is operated by the automatically actuwith the solenoid housing 49.

ated mechanism. The said spring pressed pin 44 engages in a cup socket 41, formed in the side face of the valve casing, to maintain the parts above mentioned in their intermediate position. The automatic operating means comprises a solenoid winding 43 enclosed in a casing 43. The lower portion of the solenoid casing is provided with a flange 49a, which when the solenoid assembly is in its operative position, extends into an opening 5o in the upper wall of the valve casing. In order to seal the opening 50 against leakage a gasket 5I is interposed between the solenoid casing and the top face of the valve casing I 0. The other end of the solenoid casing is closed by means of a cap 52 which is clamped in place by means of the three bolts designated 53 for clamping the solenoid structure to the valve casing. A. guide tube 54 extends centrally through the solenoid core and is clamped in position by means of a nipple 55 screwed into the flange portion 49a of the solenoid casing. A plug 56 is tted snugly in the nipple 55 so as to extend a suitable distance upwardly into the guide tube. A movable core 51 is positioned with. suitable clearance within guide tube 54. A stem 58 extends downwardly from the core through the plug 56 to engage the valve stem 23. Energization of the solenoid draws the core 51 and stem 58 downwardly to engage the stem 29 of valve 28 and thereby move the valve to its closed position. The upper end of the core 51 is guided by a pin in a plug 59.

Preferably there are drain ducts 60 extending along the outer surface of plug 56 so that any condensation from steam which may find entrance into the guide tube 54 will readily'drain into the casing I2 and therefore avoid fouling the operation of core 51.

The electric circuit for energizing the solenoid winding 48 includes a relay designated generally by the reference numeral 62 which is mounted on the valve casing I0 in close relation to the solenoid 48 so that the entire valve structure including the relay 62 may bel installed as a unitary device.

The relay 62 includes a bridging member 63 for,

closing an electric circuit between the relay contacts 64-55 for controlling the circuit through the winding of solenoid 48. The bridge member '63 is carried on a core 66 of a solenoid winding,

designated by the numeral 61. The solenoid winding is enclosed in a casing 68 and is supported on a ring bracket 69 formed integrally with the valve casing I3. A compression spring 10 normally supports the core 66 in elevated position and therefore opens the electric circuit for the valve solenoid 48 at the relay contacts 64-65.

The several lead in and return wires from the relay connect with contact plugs 1I mounted in the cap 12.Y The plugs are of diiferent size and fit in cooperating spring clips 13 supported in an insulated closure for the upper end of the relay casing 15. An insulating gasket 11 is interposedY between the lower portion of the relay casing and the ring bracket 69 so as to insulate these members as much as possible from the heat of the valve casing I0. The cap 12 is made integral Therefore the relay casing, together with the cap 12, are clamped together and to the valve casing III by means of the same clamp bolt 53 which clamped the cover 52 'and the solenoid casing 48 to the valve casing I0.

VA typical circuit for thermcstatieally actuating the relay structure shown in Fig. 3 and in turn actuating the valve solenoid is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5. A room thermostat indicated generally at 19 is positioned at some suitable location in the space being heated by the radiator, this thermostat comprising a mercury column 88 which is always in engagement with the lower contact 8| and which engages an upper fixed contact 82 at a predetermined temperature of the space being heated. An auxiliary heating coil 83 is associated with the thermostat, this coil being energized over the following circuit: From the main line 84, through wire 85, coil 83, Wire 86, rheostat 81 and wire 88 to the power main 89. The strengthof the current in heating coil 83, and hence the amount of heat added to the thermostat, will depend upon the manual adjustment of the rheostat 81 which will be suitably calibrated so that a plurality f desired temperatures may be selected within the compartment. While the thermostat 19 is directly responsive to the temperature changes within the space being heated, the actual temperature of the space at which the mercury column Will engage the upper fixed contact 82 is dependent upon the amount of auxiliary heat added to the thermostat of coil 83. The circuit for actuating the valve solenoid, as previously described, is normally opened at relay contacts 64-65 by virture of the action of spring 18 on the core 66 of the relay. It is necessary, therefore, to energize the relay solenoid only when it is desired to close a circuit through said contacts 64-65 to energize the valve solenoid. The circuit for this purpose is as follows:

From main 84 through resistance 90 and wire 9| to the lower contact 8| of the room thermostat. When the mercury column 80 of the room thermostat closes the upper limit contact 82, the electric current ows through the mercury column 88, upper contact 82, wire 92, solenoid winding 61, resistance 93 to the other main line 89. The solenoid, thus engaged, moves the bridge member 63 against contact 644-65 to close an energizing circuit through the valve solenoid 48 as follows: From power line 84, through wire 94, relay contact 64-65, wire 95, valve solenoid coil 48 and wire 96 to the other power line 89. In this manner, the radiator inlet valve 28 will be held in its closed position and thereby prevent admission of steam to the radiator as long as the temperature of the room is sufficient to maintain the mercury column 8l] at a height suicient in the thermostat to close the relay actuating circuit at the contact 82. However, it will be apparent that as soon as the relay circuit is broken at said contact 82, the spring 18 functions to move the bridge 63 away from contacts 64-65 and thereby open the electric circuit through the valve solenoid whereby spring 32 will then function Ito open the valve 28 to admit steam to the radiator.

We claim:

. l. A valve structure for controlling the admission of steam to and the discharge of condensate from a radiator comprising a casing formed internally with a high pressure steam chamber and a low pressure steam inlet chamber for communicating therewith and with the inlet end of said radiator, a valve positioned in the low pressure inlet chamber for controlling the admission of steam thereto, a thermostat chamber in said casing communicating with the return end of the radiator, a discharge chamberin said casing having a port communicating with said thermostat chamber and a thermostatic valve positioned in said thermostat chamber in close relation to the return end of said radiator for opening and closing said port.

2. A valve structure for controlling the admission of steam to and the discharge of condensate from a radiator comprising a casing formed internally with a high pressure steam chamber and a low pressure steam inlet chamber for communicating therewith and with the inlet end of said radiator, an externally actuated valve operating means extending into the low pressure chamber for controlling the admission of steam thereto, a thermostat chamber in said casing communicating with the return end of the radiator, a discharge chamber in said casing having a port communicating with said thermostat chamber and a thermostatic valve positioned in said thermostat chamber in close relation to the return end of said radiator for opening and closing said port.

3. A valve structure for controlling the admission of steam to and the discharge of condensate from a radiator comprising a casing formed internally with a high pressure steam chamber and a low pressure steam inlet chamber communicating therewith and having opening communication with the inlet end of said radiator, means extending into the low pressure chamber for controlling the admission of steam thereto, a thermostat chamber in said casing communicating with the return end of the radiator, alow pressure discharge chamber in said casing having a port communicating with said thermostat chamber, and a thermostatic valve including an expandable bellows adapted to expand into position to close said port and positioned in the thermostat chamber immediately below the return end of the radiator whereby the condensate from the radiator will spill directly on to the said bellows.

I FROST B. RUTI-IERFORD.

J OI-IN VAN VULPEN. 

